SAN FRANCISCO – The Coast Guard is responding to pollution from a sunken vessel near Coast Guard Island.

At 8:30 a.m. this morning, the Coast Guard received notification that the 37-foot recreational vessel, Pacific Tide, had sunk off of Coast Guard Island.

Coast Guard pollution investigators immediately responded and noted a sheen in the water around the vessel. Pollution responders from the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response also responded and are on scene. The owner stated there is potentially 300 gallons of diesel aboard the vessel.

The Coast Guard is working with the National Response Corporation (NRC), an oil spill response company, to contain the sheen, clean it from the water and prevent additional diesel from leaking into the water. The NRC is currently applying hard booms for containment and applying absorbent booms for removal. Parker Diving will determine if the fuel tanks can be plugged or if the remaining diesel should be removed from the sunken vessel.

The area is not environmentally sensitive, and there have been no reports of affected wildlife.

The Coast Guard urges the public to report any pollution to the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802 or online at www.nrc.uscg.mil. The National Response Center is the federal point of contact for all oil and chemical spills.